Crit Pro's and Biker Steak

Now that the Crit season is underway, I thoght it would be good to get a taste of what we can look forward to this year.  I've pressed my cycling godfather for an anecdote from yesteryear. 

 

I now hand the tarmac over to Bruce Lee, former Cat 1 road racer and Pro MTB-er...

 

"Way back in the dark ages there was a series called The Mayor's Cup.  It took place in major cities all across the US. While I was too poor at the time up hit the road for the series I did go to the Portland, Oregon edition. This was the race to get to on that particular weekend with every top rider in the region in attendance to do battle with the traveling circus of super fast Crit pro's.

 

So it's a hot day and the early races are fast and fun to watch. I get myself set up, warm up, then pre-ride the course. It's kind of a square block with a dog-leg turn, smooth pave, and whip fast.

 

We're called up to the line and the gun goes off. Now, I'm not able to line up at the front so it's an immediate shock to the system to be in the middle of a pack, grinding the 53-12, legs howling in pain and doing 35+ MPH through the city. The crowd is a blur, in fact I don't see or hear anything other than the wheel in front of me. And I'm hanging on as best I can.

Lap after lap, prime after prime, and the speed is rapid and fast as the boys from 7-Eleven and Alfa-Romeo force the pace on the front. That's when the crashes started in the middle of the pack.  All of us who are groveling at the back quickly start to tire, lose focus and eat blacktop. This is the race where I discovered that smell that was not hot brake pads but hot biker steak seared on the pavement at 38 miles an hour.
 

Around this point we were winding up for yet another sprint when up in front of me I see a very well known local rider, probably the best guy around in a Crit, suddenly drop off his line in a corner and launch right toward the crowd.  He flew through the air, his back toward the shocked onlookers, cleats over his head, straight into a parking meter anchored to the sidewalk. This happened so fast I almost didn't believe my eyes. With this sight lodged firmly in my mind I continued driving hard, forcing out my concern for life and limb.

 

More surprizing was that a lap or two later, there's the guy who crashed out, back on his bike, hammering away to the finish. I really thought my latic-acid fried brain had imagined it all. As we warmed down around the course there were a few guys standing at the crash site. I stopped to see what the attraction was. It was the parking meter, ripped out of the sidewalk and lying on its side. I heard someone state: "We thought he was seriously hurt, but before we could help he jumped up, grabbed his bike and took off!"

 

To this day I can still see that crash in my memory."  --BL

The Thrill of Victory...the Agony of Defeat

To start off with I've never won a bike race unless you count moral victories or neighborhood races against my brothers.  My recent results have been bitter sweet moving me from a state of confident arrogance to wanting to chuck my bike in the lake. 

A few weeks ago I actually came in third in a local Cat 5 race.  I was both surprised and happy with my performance and knew that I could improve on that result over the summer.  I outsprinted a few hard core looking guys on my way to the finish line and spent every ounce of my energy to do it.  I went to bed that night finally able to understand how far you need to look down your nose to see the little people who didn't make it onto the podium.  They did their best but their best was obviously not good enough. 

Fast forward 7 days to the next race.  It rained earlier in the day so they combined the Cat 5's with the "late race" including Pro's and Cat 1's.  Based on my previous weeks performance I was excited, not concerned.  Big mistake.  I warmed up for 10 miles which in my current state of fitness was a decision I now look back on with regret.  10 miles into the 30 mile crit, I was gassed.  I hung with the peleton for a good 30 minutes and thought I felt fine.  I started slowing, gradually drifting toward the back of the pack.  I didn't realize it was happening at first until I was 15 feet behind the pack with momentum moving away from me.  My legs didn't respond and I was pulled from the track about 5 minutes later.  My wife walked me out of the park with the look on her face of a mother when her son's just told her he didn't make Varsity.  She felt bad because she knew I felt bad.  Within one week I went from the podium to a DNF.

I spent the next few days on a business trip holed up in a hotel room in Seattle watching Duck Dynasty and eating nachos.  After a grand total of 3 races I was considering hanging up my cleats.  When I got home I went out for a ride.  30 miles of course, just to prove to myself that I could go hard for the distance I failed to complete in my last race.  I then thought about something else.  When I got dropped there were only two Cat 5's left in the pack.  That was my silver lining.  The sun will keep rising and my wheels will keep spinning.  I'm in it for the fun and the fitness.  Given my age and fitness level I need to stay in the shallow end of the racing pool and give up professional cycling dreams.  My dreams are of the Cat 5 variety and as I recall it's still pretty far to look down my nose to see all the other Cat 5's who didn't make the podium.  ;-)  Race on.  

Two-Wheeled NASCAR

I learned quite a bit this past weekend.  From registering to crossing the finish line, there were a lot of "firsts" for me.  When I signed in they checked my racing license and then gave me my number.  I also got a little bag with some cycling propaganda and a Power Bar which I promptly gave to my kids.  It was about 39 degrees at the start but was sunny and clear with very little wind.  I dressed in cold weather gear as you can see by the picture below.  I was layered just about right.  I brought my rollers and warmed up right behind the car.  That worked out very well and I got a good sweat going before going over to the starting line. 

Resident cycling pro Bruce Lee added his two cents to each of the items below. 

1.Little hills suck the energy out of your legs. 85% of my preparation for the race was indoors on my rollers. Pennsylvania has been bitterly cold for the past several months making outdoor training a hazard. My lack of outdoor fitness was obvious and my lungs were screaming on the last lap. BL Yes – hills do sap the legs. So, always try to place yourself at the head of the race at the bottom of each hill. That way even if you have to “soft pedal” a bit the pack has to pass you. Thus you give yourself a good shot at hitting the top and still being in contact and having a wheel to sit on as you recover.

2. I need more high intensity training. Even if I had done more outdoor training I still would have barely been able to hold on. I've only been getting about 2 hours of training per week which isn't going to get it done. The race was 3 laps of a 6.2 mi loop. I was still with the lead group starting the third lap but I didn't have the lungs to stick with them all the way. About two weeks ago I was very sick and took Theraflu for three days straight. It took me about a week to get over the fatigue but I'd lost several days of training. Had that not happened I may have been able to stay with the group but I still don't think I would have been much of a threat in a sprint finish. Hopefully that will improve over the summer. BL As you get over the flu and get build your base back up a bit, it’s time for interval training. Details to follow on that. Bottom line is intervals will pump up your speed and get you ready for the rhythm of racing.

3. My riding style may be better suited to being in the front of the group. Maybe this is my lack of experience with racing. I feel fine in group rides, but everyone is very courteous and enjoys the structure of pace lines. Racing is much more helter-skelter which is what I think lead to the carnage I witnessed that day. More on that later. BL Early season races can be hairy. Everyone is shaking off the winter and getting back to comfort level of racing. Add to it that in many categories where people are learning the ropes its every man to himself. In big races it can still be a scrum to be at the front, since everyone wants to be there. But it’s the safest place to be and that’s where the race is, anyhow. Rather than be right at the front of the race, instead place yourself in the first third of the pack. That way you are not wasting energy breaking the wind for everyone behind you, but you can keep an eye on the race, be ready to respond to attacks, and avoid eating the grass (and pavement) at the back of the pack.

4. Riding near the back takes more energy than riding in the middle. I'm not sure of the aerodynamics of it all, but anecdotally it felt like much more work to be at the back. After we lost several riders in a short period of time (translate: crash) I was at the back of the main group. I guess I just need to get comfortable with ridingnear the front of the group. BL Riding at the back is always a sketchy place to be, although sooner or later everyone is there at some point. So if you are at the back, ride aware. Try to not be on a wheel of a huge person you cannot see around. Have escape routes in mind. Keep the head up, ears and eyes open for crashes. And try to get back up front.

5. I learned what carbon fiber sounds like hitting cement at speed. Midway through the second lap the pack was cruising along at about 25 mph when everything went wrong. A rider about two spots ahead of me clipped the wheel of the rider in front of him. He went down causing a chain reaction of destruction. I hit my brakes while veering left and stayed out of the fray. About 10 riders went down. I'm not sure how many got back up. The deepness...heaviness of the crunching was something I didn't expect. I think it was a very painful and a very expensive crash. BL Crashing stinks, literally (given time and crits, you will know what I mean), but expect it. Ride enough miles and sooner or later it will happen. When it does, try to not panic. Keep in mind the following happens quickly: Get up if you can and out of the road. Check yourself; Are you OK? Check yes, then the bike: Wheels spin, shifts, brakes OK? Check yes, then get on and go. You will have road rash but the quicker you are on the bike the less it will hurt. Do not over extend, ramp your pace up and chase. Chances are you will pick up stragglers who also crashed or were caught behind. Work together and you can catch the pack.

6. A helmet won't save you from being knocked unconscious.  In the middle of the last lap I came around a corner to find a few more bodies strewn across the road.  One rider was limping off the road, leaving his bike and gingerly holding his wrist.  Another rider was lying face-down in the middle of the road in a puddle of something.  I don't know if it was sweat, blood or Gatorade.  In the few seconds it took me to pass him, I didn't see him move.  The race marshal was there at the corner and was running to them calling it in on the radio. The medic's got quite a workout that day.

Overall it felt very much like a NASCAR event. 33 riders started in my group, 11 crashed out and I finished in 17th. I'm not going to be on the tour this year anyway but I was happy to finish the race rubber side down which is more than a third of the field can say.  For a rookie in NASCAR, a safe 17th place finish in a first race is a good starting point. 

  

"Maximizing Your Couch Potential" by Guest Columnist Bruce Lee

Believe it or not I've got a friend who's real name is Bruce Lee.  You can choose what to believe; the fact that I actually have a friend, or that his name is Bruce Lee.  Either way, it doesn't change the fact that he is an expert cyclist who I consider the godfather of my cycling life.  Bruce is the first person who told me that cyclists shave their legs and explained what a "crit" is.  When I started cycling I recall bothering him to the point of harassment.  

 

I asked him to pass down some nuggets to those of us still thirsty for cycling knowledge.  He knows what he's talking about so listen up!

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Allan asked for me to put together a few words of advice for people who are either just getting started with bike racing, or for those looking to make the most of the time they do have to ride.  To quickly sum up my background, I did my racing back in the good old days of the 1980s. This was during the time of steel frames, down tube friction shifters and so forth. Therefore the high-tech training tool of the day was a digital speedometer (yep – this was before heart rate monitors).  I go so far back to having nail-on cleats for my first cycling shoes.  Back then I had lots of time to ride and man did I ever.  Early season it was not uncommon to roll 500-700 miles a week.  So lots of saddle time.  Speed work came later and was usually replaced by racing as the season progressed.  I raced cat 1-2 on the road, pro off-road (mtb).  But as they say, that was then.

 

As implied, unlike the good old days there are a tremendous number of tools available now to aid in training.  Power meters, heart rate monitors, social networking sites, just to name a few.  So the question is should you use the tools just because they are available?  Maybe, maybe not.  In my view, “yes” if you are a 20-something athlete with high ambitions. “Maybe” if you are an elite athlete who is very competitive as an age grouper.  And “maybe not” if you are just starting out or intend the sport as an outlet to life vs. a lifestyle.  It’s my view that as much as a power meter can provide valuable data it can also be a distraction, particularly if your time is limited. Instead I advocate keeping it simple and focusing on the quality of the work. More often than not, the Pro’s are using a tool because they are paid. So just because the Pro’s use it doesn’t mean you need it. 

 

As with many business professional people who work in an office setting, I have limited time to “train” for an event.  Over the years I have hit on a formula that works for me.  Simply put: ride as hard as "heck" when you do ride because the time you are not on the bike is all rest time so to speak. Maximize that couch potential. And when I say ride hard, I mean make it hurt. Do a warm up and then build your ride based on the terrain.  For example, if I am commuting home by bike, I have 4 hills to  tackle over 25 miles.  Sometimes I pace the ride to hit each successive hill at a faster pace, riding tempo between.  Or I’ll pace the climb and hammer the flats.  Sometimes I’ll ride 40/20s (provided I have a bit of base fitness): 40 seconds on (riding fast), followed by 20 seconds off.  Know that the first time you do this work-out you might only do a handful.  The big picture is that you have a structure for the ride to squeeze the most out of your time.  Have a plan and stick with it unless your body says “No!!”  In that case, follow what your body is telling you. 

 

Besides maximizing your training time the keys to success in bike racing seems mostly simple things: Being willing to suffer like the proverbial dog, being very aware of what is going on around you - head on a swivel, and picking the moment to throw down all the chips on the big bet to win.  To learn to suffer is to embrace it. Hard training helps with that process.  Being aware takes practice.  Learn who you are competing with, note their habits, how they tip their hand.  This takes time and multiple events to build your knowledge.  Don’t race at the back of the pack, be up front.  That way you are able to watch what’s going on and stay out of crashes.   As for when do you place your bet to win, that depends on what you do well.  Are you a climber, finding yourself always off the front when the road tips up. Are you a sprinter, always in the mix at the finish.  Are you a roller, able to grind the big gear, maintaining a steady high speed over a long duration. 

 

In closing, I’ll share what was once passed down to me when I started in the sport: Legend has it that Eddy Merckx was asked what was his secret to winning.  His purported reply was “there are three secrets; ride, ride, and ride some more.”  So no matter what you do, get out on the bike, ride some miles, and have fun!

 

-Bruce Lee

Love on Two Wheels

For anyone who has ever learned how to ride a bike, there is a certain amount of nostalgia when you remember the first time you stayed up under your own power.  That moment when you were in control of a speed much faster than you could get while simply running.  I remember the little blue banana seat bike my dad had adjusted so it could fit my 4 year old frame.  I rode non-stop for weeks after that experience and I've had a bike ever since.  When I was eleven I started a paper route and rode my bike every day of the week delivering papers for the next five years.  This picture is not me, but it could have been.

After I got my driver's license my dad bought me a Vespa 150.  I could get 77 miles per gallon on that hog.  It allowed me to go back and forth from school, work and soccer practice feeling the wind on my face.  I remember taking my girlfriend (now wife) on some wild rides on the freeway.  This is where I learned about drafting.  We got up to 75 mph once while drafting behind an 18-wheeler.  Not smart, but definitely exhilirating. 

I went on my 2-year church mission to Riverside, California.  In my mission you were more likely to have a car than not.  I was lucky, I was only in a car for 3 months.  The other 21 months I was on a bike in perpetually warm Southern California.  I loved it. 

Now I ride my road bike for fun.  I love crossing the finish line of an event with my family there.  This you-tube video posted by someone else, actually shows me crossing the finish line with my family on the side holding up signs and cheering. 

It's quite romantic really; the thought of riding off into the sunset.  No one ever talks about driving off into the sunset.

 

Vive le Velo!

Lance’s Best Defense: The Te’o Effect

The recent headlines that have stolen the countries attention have been Manti Te’o and the girlfriend that may have only ever existed in his head.  There have been stories from teammates, press releases from Notre Dame, an NFL player’s public testimony that she actually exists and an alleged friend of the fictionally deceased girl being interviewed on ESPN.  This interview took place over the phone I might add.  Wasn’t that Te’o’s big mistake, trusting the voice of a person he’d never seen?  ESPN should know better. 

With all of the sadness and disappointment coming from this story at numerous levels, there is one person who has likely welcomed this flurry of headlines coming out of the sports world like a warm invisibility cloak.  Lance Armstrong.  The fact that everyone in the free world knew Lance was guilty months, if not years before he hit Oprah’s couch made his story much less compelling.  The Te’o story isn’t just a sports story but one that has crossed over to the tabloids.  This has provided Lance with a bit of a smoke screen as he makes an admission that has been over a decade in the making.  On the other hand, had Te’o’s story never happened the only thing the sports world would have had to offer mainstream news would have been the NFL playoffs headlined by Ray Lewis’ impending retirement.  Lance’s story would have dwarfed that.  If Lance’s admission had been unexpected and hit the papers at the same time the Te’o story did this may be a much better scenario for Manti and the University.  The press would have found Lance’s story much more newsworthy. 

If Lance’s story would have come out by itself he would have had reporters rifling through his trash and camping out at his house to get a paparazzi style photo of him in a ball cap.  Although he is getting his share of attention, there is a lot of money being spent right now on forensic technologists in an effort to locate the source of the avatar Manti was “dating”.  Everyone knew Lance was doping, there’s no mystery there.  There are no more needles in his trash and no more EPO in his fridge.  Te’o’s girlfriend is a much more interesting train wreck to watch.  The Lance locomotive crashed a long time ago and has begun to rust over.  Te’o’s wreck still has metal pieces flying through the air and smoke billowing from the engine.  If I were a conspiracy theorist I would say that Lance may have constructed the entire Te’o story as some elaborate distraction to take the sting out of his admission but Lance wouldn't do that would he?

Lance has a lifetime ban from competitive sports that could be lowered if he helps investigators.  Should Lance be allowed to compete again?

Do you care a little too much?

I read a story about cycling last week that was pretty sad.  It revolves around the New York Gran Fono that took place in May of 2012.  Fondo's are basically a cycling festival including bike races, vendors, a bike Expo etc.  The NY Gran Fondo this past summer had more intrigue than usual thanks to a racer named David Anthony.  In the article at THIS LINK you can read that he popped for EPO while at the event.  Just to be clear, this guy was not a Pro cyclist with millions in endorsements on the line if he failed.  He was simply a Cat 3 racer.  If you read my last post, you realize that being a Cat 3 racer might be cool for a weekend warrior but it is certainly not going to get you on the landing page of VeloNews.com unless of course you fail a drug test during a Cat 3 race.  This guy has a real job and decided to take drugs in order to beat other fully employed husbands and fathers at a weekend group ride.

Hematocrit is the percentage of your blood that is made up of red blood cells.  They are the little servants that dutifully deliver oxygen, four molecules at a time, to your demanding muscles.  The more you have, the better your endurance.  Adult men typically register hematocrit levels that range between 40-45%.  Amgen which is the largest biotech company in the world created Erythropoetin (EPO) in the early 90's primarily to help cancer patients who were going through chemotharapy.  It is a wonder drug really.  Chemotherapy wreaks havoc on your red blood cell count that results in the significant drop in energy experienced by patients after treatment.  EPO is administered to increase the body's production of red blood cells to give patients their energy back.  As is the case with most revolutionary discoveries, they end up being used in unintended ways.  Cyclists began to realize it's potential for sustained endurance/power when climbing hills particularly during extended stage races.  As a bit of irony, Amgen is the primary sponsor of the Tour of California.  That's kind of like having a commercial break half-way through your AA meeting and hearing, "The second half of this AA meeting is being brought to you by Budweiser, the King of Beers.  Drink responsibly"  It's a place Amgen shouldn't be.  As a bit of trivia, I interned at Amgen while I was in MBA school.  Fantastic, and very successful company; poor marketing department.

In 1997, before there was a test for EPO, the International Cycling Union (UCI) placed a max hematocrit limit of 50 for anyone participating in sanctioned racing events.  Mr. Anthony reported his normal hematocrit to be in the "low 40's".  He said that his doping regiment resulted in him keeping his hematocrit at "52-53", a full 10 points higher than his walking around number.  This is nearly 25% more red blood cells than he naturally had. Apparently this wasn't just a "I only did it once and you caught me" situation.  They rarely are.  After being caught he admitted to a $1,000/month EPO habit in order to elevate his hematocrit to a more "competitive" level. 

I think the story hit me because it kind of feels like it could be me.  Before anyone goes making wild assumptions I want to be clear about what I've used as "performance enhancers".  My list includes Gatorade, Clif Bars, Cliff Shot Bloks and GU.  I understand the frailties of the human condition and know that being over 40 years old means that even with EPO I wouldn't be as good as I could have been when I was 27.  The similarities are that we are both over 40, both started cycling in 2009, both went headlong into training and loved it from day one.  That's where they end.  The differences are that I spent about $200 last year on my "performance enhancers" (mostly cliff bars and Bloks) while he spent thousands on illegal drugs and injected himself with live proteins to artificially increase his chance of winning.

Want to know how to increase your hematocrit legally?  Get enough sleep.  Go to bed an hour earlier during the training season and you'll give your body enough time to regenerate.  Rest will help you recover quicker as well.

Long story short, if anyone beats me in a race this summer, I want them tested.  ;-)  Lesson number two, get your priorities straight.  Unless you get paid to do it for a living (which I would love by the way) cycling shouldn't be in your top 5.